A woman wears a face mask to protect against COVID-19 in London, England, on April 7, 2024.
Mike Kemp | In Photo | Getty Images
LONDON — A new strain of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is spreading globally, and four and a half years into the pandemic, medical experts are warning of the possibility of a summer surge in cases. There is growing concern among
As the coronavirus continues to mutate from previous strains, FLiRT variants (the label comes from the name of the mutation in the variant’s genetic code) are on the rise in the United States and Europe.
The new group is the descendant of a previously dominant JN.1 variant, or omicron offshoot. Currently, there is little evidence that the new strains are more severe, but they appear to have independently detected the same set of mutations. according to John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
KP.2 is now the predominant strain in the United States, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. burdensome strain 28.2% of all cases In the two weeks to May 11, shares rose from 3.8% at the end of March, just after the stock was first discovered.
Cases of another FLiRT variant, KP.1.1, are also increasing and account for 7.1% of current infections, the agency said.
The number of infected people is also increasing in Europe, with new mutant strains currently detected in 14 countries.
The World Health Organization Latest updates Earlier this month, the government said the number of cases remained limited in all reporting countries. However, individual countries have seen “slight increases in detections from very low levels.”
Last week, the UK Health and Safety Executive said: Said The agency continues to monitor data on new variants in the UK and internationally, assessing their severity and the continued effectiveness of vaccines. “At this time, there is no change to the broader public health advice,” the agency said in an update.
Jennifer Horney, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Delaware, said the new strain currently appears unlikely to cause a large wave of infections like those seen in the past when public immunity was low. . However, she noted that the new strain is likely to lead to an increase in the number of infections over the coming summer.
“While our thinking about what a wave of COVID-19 infections looks like has changed over the course of the pandemic, there is a possibility that these new strains will cause an increase in cases in the U.S. in the coming months. is high,” Horney said. he told CNBC via email.
“Many will have milder symptoms based on pre-existing immunity rather than changes in circulating strains,” she says.
Still, medical experts will be closely monitoring how effective the current vaccines are against the new strain.
Next month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccine Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet to discuss recommendations for this winter’s mix of coronavirus vaccines. Postponed the Previous discussion to collect more data.
